Shape your fantasy football team for the new season

The new football season is just around the corner and with it comes the race to be your office's fantasy football champion for 2016-17.

Here are our top five tips for out-scoring your rivals this year, to help you accept the accolades and be crowned fantasy master.

Bonus point players

Every year, there is always a batch of players who seemingly go under the radar yet consistently score fantasy football points.

It may be that a club's penalty taker has been stepping up more than usual, or a team is forcing more corners this season and producing more opportunities for its attacking players via this route.

Remember: Defenders don't just score points for keeping clean sheets - goals and assists are a real bonus when they happen.

Study the fixtures

Each week, there'll always be at least one fixture which looks incredibly one-sided, so it may be an idea to add a couple of extra players in for said team based on this.

Whenever you're making transfers, be sure to check the fixtures for the next few weeks, to see if your new signing is a long-term fixture or a quick fix.

Remember: The fixtures become more difficult to read when the FA Cup starts, with some teams playing more than others. Use this to your advantage.

Don't be sentimental

Never hang on to a player who is past his best for points scoring, even if he's been a good servant to your team for several weeks.

On a similar theme, don't put all your eggs in one basket, hoping for a player to come good. As much as you may believe in the talent of a team's fourth-choice striker, you need to know when to call it a day.

Remember: Always transfer a player out before he stops scoring points - so prepare yourself for when your star player has a dip in form.

Team shape

One niche of fantasy football which can catch many players out is the ability to be able to change your formation during the season.

When you sign up to a fantasy football game, it will often have a default 4-4-2 formation set-up, but you can alter this to a variety of systems, with a maximum and minimum number of players for each position available to you.

Remember: You don't need to pick a player based on his actual playing position, the ability to pick five left-backs can work a charm.

Transfer policy

Many of us struggle in the opening weeks when our top picks end up as top flops - but it's important not to be rash with your transfers early on in the campaign.

An opportune time to make transfers is during a gameweek when any team is playing more than once, to double your chances of picking up points.

Remember: It's a marathon not a sprint. Save some transfers for those final furlongs, when every point really makes the difference.

Best of luck to all the fantasy footballer managers in 2016-17 - let the games begin!

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